Emerging countries are slowly opting for smart and sustainable cars
View(s):Auto manufacturers have shifted their priorities to not only meet emissions standards, but also to keep up with government policies to improve air quality in each country. Fuel-efficient cars have not yet caught on in developing markets as fast as they have in Western markets but there is a slow, apparent change of car buyers going green globally. Carmudi analyzed millions of listings on the company’s car classifieds website, and the data shows that auto demand worldwide, including in Sri Lanka is shifting towards greener rides.
Vehicle marketplace Carmudi was founded in 2013 and is currently available in Bangladesh, Cameroon, Congo, Ghana, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Mexico, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, and Zambia.
The company found that countries in the Middle East such as UAE and Qatar are still in love with their SUVs. The number of eco-friendly car listings in the country stand at 5.8 per cent and 1.88 per cent, respectively but green cars are slowly becoming a more attractive option for car buyers.
In Pakistan, green cars have also gained traction in recent years with the number of hybrid cars listed online growing 85 per cent in the past two years, alongside a 17.48 per cent slump in listings for petrol-fueled cars in the country. This trend goes hand in hand with governmental policies to improve the country’s air quality and cut carbon commissions in the coming decade.
In Sri Lanka, 43.5 per cent of cars listed for sale are eco-friendly cars, and out of those, 93 percent consist of hybrid cars. The hybrid car market in Sri Lanka is monopolized by the likes of Honda’s Insight Hybrid model and Toyota’s Prius Hybrid Synergy Drive models. Carmudi Sri Lanka also saw growth in the number of electric car listings, which grew four percent in the past 12 months.
This growth is at a much larger stage over the last few months as we see a surge in the sales of plug-in electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf and the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, the company said.
Managing Director for Carmudi Sri Lanka, Firaz Markar, said: “The Sri Lankan consumer has always been green automotive friendly, largely due to the high cost of fuel as well as favorable regulatory terms bringing down the cost of green vehicles. While hybrid vehicles such as the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight started this surge, over recent months we have seen a dramatic growth in the sales of plug-in electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf and Mistubishi Outlander PHEV.
Exceptional upfront cost savings,lower running costs, and also certain households moving to solar powered energy are primary factors as we see it. We are currently well poised to bring down national fossil fuel bills based on current automotive trends. It’s great to see the acceptance of such modern technologies within an emerging market such as ours. These are very exciting times for the automotive future of our country.”